Fishin with some kids

[MJL]

There’s a special school in the Kitchener/Waterloo area with an exceptional teacher and some very amazing students…Several years ago Darryl Kierstead, a teacher at Bluevale Collegiate Institute started a fishing club at that school for students in grade 9 through to 12.

 

On short notice, Hammercarp asked a few of us to volunteer our time and expertise helping the club out for one of their fishing trips for carp – The majority of their trips is actually for carp as it’s always in season at their local swims. In the past, they’ve also ice fished for perch in Simcoe, fished for panfish all over and toured around the Toronto Islands looking for pike.

 

I took the day off from work and made my way down to Hamilton where the fish-in was going to be held…I got there early around 1:30 and met Darryl setting up a few rods with several of his students…

 

”Is this all”…”This will be a piece of cake”…I thought wrong…

 

30mins later a few cars with 15-20 students show up in the parking lot…A few minutes later, another 5…A few minutes later another 5… “How many can there be?”

 

Well there were 50 students all together who showed up ……From 8 students then at the beginning a few years ago, to now over 65 current members, Darryl has obviously promoted and inspired his kids to take up the sport of fishing...A few students - now in college - are undertaking musky stocking projects and some are working in the forestry business (with the hopes of better fishing up north…Or so they think if they have the time )

 

It was a manic first hour setting everyone up with their rods, hair rigging corn and boilies onto their hooks, untangling lines and retying new hair rigs after discovering that the ones they currently had on their lines were unusable or knotted up…Darryl and I were winging it as the students came.

 

Hammercarp showed up a little later after. Lorne and Darryl

 

Here are some of the pics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For most of the day I made my rounds checking the students to see if they needed anything – I didn’t really fish much…Many of them strayed a fair distance away hoping for the promise of better fishing. In the end, though the fishing was brutally slow, one lucky angler managed a gorgeous carp at 25.5lbs (will post the pics later).

 

Even with the slow fishing, the majority of students said at least one of the following

- It beats doing homework

- I can’t wait for the tournament next week and the next trip in 2 weeks

- It’s just nice being out here with a line in the water

 

Fantastic group of kids: Optimistic, out-going, passionate and respectful to the environment they fished - The bank was actually cleaner at the end of the day

 

Hungry, dehydrated, tired and fishless...I’m still hoping to get out with them again for their next fish-in. Can't wait!

 

I also have to give kudos to my buddy John for dropping by with a package donated to the club comprising of: Big Bob's carp corn, boilies, groundbait, boilie-stops, baiting needles (which Darryl definitely needed considering he loses all of them each trip ) and more...

 

If you’ve got old tackle laying around not worth selling and are thinking of donating it to the club, shoot me or Hammercarp a PM and we can provide you with Darryl’s contact info.

 

Cheers

[ctranter]

Looks like fun, if I had a single day in high school that wasn't reserved to hockey I would jump all over that club in a second

 

It's nice to see members of the community volunteering their time to keep the art of fishing alive in today's youth. As a teacher, I am always looking for ways to integrate conservation and respect for the environment in creative ways. I heard about a salmon program in Ontario where the ministry will set your classroom up with a filtration equipment, a tank, and salmon minnows. The kids get to see everything from life cycles to more complicated scientific subjects like migration and imprinting. Top it off with a field trip to a local trib to watch the salmon run.

 

Does this club run through steelehead season? I'm sure the kids would develop an even stronger appreciation of fishing after watching you at your most skilled craft.

[Tarzan's Jane]

Excellent....the students actually look happy to be there....who wouldn't. Good on you for volunteering your time.

[TC1OZ]

Good stuff! I wish there was a fishing club when I was in high school.

[JohnF]

I miss my hockey & ball coaching days. Maybe I need to get involved in something like that.

 

JF

[discophish]

Looks like fun, if I had a single day in high school that wasn't reserved to hockey I would jump all over that club in a second

 

I know! I played for my high school hockey team for 3 years. How many times during those 7am practices did you wish that you were out fishing rather than skating to the bench and puking over the boards? All the time, right?!! I sure wish my high school had a fishing club. It would have exempted me from the practices, I'm sure of it. "coach, screw your crucifying practices ... I'm taking off to wet a line. Catch you later if I feel like making your calculus class this afternoon" MJL, are you serving these kids beers on the piers or something??? That's awesome that a fishing club has attracted so many high school students. In my own opinion, fishing at their age isn't the most popular activity. I'm sure glad to see that changing! Awesome job!

[GBW]

Good stuff! I wish there was a fishing club when I was in high school.

Same here.

 

Great job helping out MJL!!!

[hammercarp]

Good going Michael. At their next fish-in we'll be better prepared to help them out.Hopefully we'll get you some help baiting all those rigs. Too bad we only managed one fish. The kids did seem to really enjoy themselves and I was amazed at thier great behavior.

[ctranter]

I know! I played for my high school hockey team for 3 years. How many times during those 7am practices did you wish that you were out fishing rather than skating to the bench and puking over the boards? All the time, right?!! I sure wish my high school had a fishing club. It would have exempted me from the practices, I'm sure of it. "coach, screw your crucifying practices ... I'm taking off to wet a line. Catch you later if I feel like making your calculus class this afternoon" MJL, are you serving these kids beers on the piers or something??? That's awesome that a fishing club has attracted so many high school students. In my own opinion, fishing at their age isn't the most popular activity. I'm sure glad to see that changing! Awesome job!

 

I don't compare hockey to fishing. Hockey is my winter obsession, fishing has to compete with golf but fishing always wins. In high school, I used the hockey team as an excuse to skip the afternoons of many schools days. If I did a fishing club in the morning, I would eliminate classes completely. What kind of teacher would that make me now lol?

 

I went to Runnymede Collegiate, at Jane and Dundas. If I could have gone to the old mill to Salmon fish as part of a fishin club, I would have without hesitation.

 

Pack to the original topic, students (especially secondary) are all "blinged out gangsta's", with little regard for the natural beauty that surrounds them as Canadians. Seeing teenagers dedicated to conservation and fishing makes me reconsider my dark view of Canadian youth.

[discophish]

If I did a fishing club in the morning, I would eliminate classes completely. What kind of teacher would that make me now lol?

 

Why that would make you the bestest teacher in the whole wide world! I'm bringing you an apple a day just for that, but don't expect me to stick around for class.

[limeyangler]

Great stuff MJL...10/10 for helping out, the kids obviously had a blast!

 

Great post...the pics say it all really...smiles everywhere.